U.S. Pat. No. 7,823,219 (“the '219 patent”), which issued on Nov. 2, 2010 and which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto, describes a therapeutic pressure-relieving device and method for preventing and treating pressure sores (i.e., decubitus ulcers) on a patient's body. The device of the '219 patent is intended to prevent and treat pressure sores by alleviating pressure on tissue covering and surrounding bony prominences of the patient's body and by alleviating pressure on the blood vessels in the angiosomes to promote blood flow. The device of the '219 patent uses a plurality of inflatable channels or pockets which are selectably inflatable to alleviate pressure while allowing blood to flow throughout the angiosomes.
Although the device of the '219 patent is configured to alleviate pressure sores in particular regions of the patient's body, it is also desirable to roll the patient's body, as described in further detail below.
Pressure sores may be considered a function of pressure that is exerted on a soft tissue surface of the body greater than 32 mm Hg for a substantial period of time. One way to minimize or at least reduce this problem is to manually roll the patient from side to side at a relatively high frequency. This is sometimes referred to as “log rolling.” Problems with this treatment include increased nursing requirements, delays between rolling treatments, and sheer forces on the skin during the “rolling” procedure. Also, abrupt and relatively rapid rolling may tend to cause discomfort to the patient.
Accordingly, there is believed to be a need for a device and method that provides the benefits of rolling the patient while reducing manual labor requirements, trauma to the patient's tissue, and patient discomfort associated with such rolling.
Further, especially for hospitalized, bed-ridden patients, pulmonary function may be reduced from normal levels for various reasons. A factor in pulmonary disease occurrence is the inability to clear fluid build-up in the lungs. As the fluid accumulates, the risk of pneumonia and pulmonary desaturation may increase. Thus, there is a need for a device and method for facilitating pulmonary function, especially for bed-ridden patients.
There is also believed to be a need to apply automatically percussive treatment to break up inspissated fluids within the patient's lungs, reducing surface tension, so as to allow secretions to be mobilized and expectorated, while reducing the need for nurses and pulmonary therapists to provide such treatment.
Especially for a closed garment, such as, for example, the device of the '219 patent, a limiting feature in a debilitated patient may include the risk of undiagnosed fecal or urinary soilage. This soilage may result in skin breakdown, wound infection, and/or patient discomfort. If the garment is closed, nurses may have a limited opportunity to examine the patient. Accordingly, there is believed to be a need for detection devices and methods for detecting urinary and fecal soilage and alerting nurses to these occurrences, so as to inform or signal the nurses to perform a garment change, so as to reduce the amount of time spent by the nurses checking on soilage of patients.
Furthermore, many patients may undergo cardiac catheterization and other invasive procedures that may require access from the large blood vessels (such as, for example, the groin area). After these procedures are completed, catheters are removed and the puncture wound in the blood vessels may bleed for hours. To circumvent this bleeding, a nurse places pressure on the blood vessels or places a “brick” or “sand-bag” on the area (for example, for up to one hour). Each of these solutions is complicated by patient discomfort and the risk of bleeding if the pressure brick/bag shifts so that it no longer properly puts pressure on the blood vessel.
Thus, there is believed to be a need for an apparatus and method that effectively applies pressure during invasive procedures (for example, catheterization procedures), without relying upon manually applied pressure and/or the placement of a weight on the patient's body in the area where the bleeding occurs. In this regard, there is believed to be a need for devices and methods that minimize bleeding, conform to the patient's anatomy, and/or have an integrated bleeding alarm to alert a nurse if bleeding occurs.
To further facilitate prevention of pressure sores and improve patient comfort, there is also believed to a need for an apparatus and method for distributing a gas to a patient's skin to reduce moisture and perspiration.